theatreLady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill
Fresh from her role in Crowns, Alexis J. Rogers channels Billie Holiday at Porchlight Music Theatre.GO:2/2–3/10. $19.50–$41. Porchlight Theatre at Stage 773. 1225 W Belmont. porchlightmusictheatre.org

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folkRalph Stanley & the Clinch Mountain Boys
You may recognize the Southern guy’s sounds from O Brother Where Art Thou, but this Virginia son has been picking and hollerin’ since the mid ‘40s.GO:2/2 at 8; $40–$42. 4544 N Lincoln. oldtownschool.org

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theatreThe Birthday Party
Harold Pinter’s unnerving play of a fraught anti-celebration closed closed after its first eight performances when it opened in 1958. Today, Steppenwolf ensemble member Austin Pendleton takes a stab at the notorious work.GO:Through 4/28; $15–$86. Steppenwolf Theatre, 1650 N Halsted. steppenwolf.org

WHAT I’M DOING THIS WEEKEND

Meredith Weber

Up next in our series of weekend plans from notable, in-the-know locals—a.k.a. people we like: Meredith Weber, the co-director of Happy Collaborationists, a curatorial collective in Noble Square, and a founding member of the Chicago-based performance art group Before Cake, After Dinner (BCAD).

“Friday, I’ll probably head to Bridgeport to get a drink at Maria’s Packaged Goods. It’s run by my friend Edmar who is really committed to the art community in Chicago. While there, I’ll pick up the new copy of LUMPEN Magazine. Fingers crossed Hornswaggler’s Graham Hogan is behind the bar. I love the bar because it feels like a friend. I like to feel included in the community.

“On Saturday, I’ll start the day off with brunch at Flo. I love their Huevos Rancheros, and they make all their own hot sauces. I feel like they really care about the customer. Afterward, I’ll head to the Cultural Center to see Claire Ashley’s solo exhibition: FRIZZFLOPSQUEEZEPOP and Anna Kunz’s work in Industry of the Ordinary’s mid-career survey Sic Transit Gloria Mundi. That night the Mothergirl show Two Women Do Three Things opens at Happy Collaborationists. Later, we’ll celebrate at Chances Dances at the Hideout. They’re announcing the awardees of the Critical Fierceness Grant and Mark Aguhar Memorial Fund [an arts grant given to LGBTQ artists].

“Sunday, I’m performing at Woman Made Gallery. Anna Trier and I collaborate on a performance practice, Meredith and Anna, and this show is titled BEST/WORST. I’ll then end the day at Devening Projects in Garfield Park. There’s a group exhibition, Shit is Real, including works by Aron Gent and Sophia Leiby.” —As told to Elly Fishman

FREEBIE OF THE WEEK

artChris Garofalo
If air plants were the flora of 2012, Chris Garofalo’s ceramic counter-parts are the 2013 Zeitgeist. The Illinois native’s latest work comes to life in Zoophytosphere Vivaria, a series of ceramic greenery.GO:2/2 at 4. Rhona Hoffman Gallery, 118 N Peoria. rhoffmangallery.com